Chapter 1: Family

They were standoffish with each other for the next month. Rogue had finally been able to graduate and was preparing to start some college courses. Remy, on the other hand, was trying to get Reñe to say 'daddy' as his first word.

The boy giggled at his father's attempts to get him to speak. Before he was put to bed at night, Rogue had taken to telling him stories softly as he laid beside her. She would watch him for a while after he fell asleep before placing him in his crib. He slept through the night once she began that ritual.

A few weeks later Remy awoke to hear his son babbling in his crib. When he tried to get up he found that Rogue was asleep with her arms wrapped around him. *Sorry son, but your mama needs me a little more right now.* Reñe continued his talking as he tightened his grip on Rogue. "Chere."

"Be quiet, cajun."

"Aw, I love it when you sweet talk."

"Shut up." However she didn't move or open her eyes.

"This mean we gonna give it a shot?"

"If ya stop with your incessant questions, cajun."

"Kay-joon."

Rogue shook with laughter. "Cajun."

"Kay-jun." The baby repeated himself between fits of giggles.

"Nice job, chere."

She kissed him gently. "Don't be mad."

Remy smiled at her. "Chere, I want you ta meet the whole family."

"When?"

"Soon as possible."

"What could possibly go wrong?"

When Remy and Rogue informed the Professor that they were heading to Louisiana, Logan was against it. The two men got into a heated argument. Rogue, exasperated at them, finally suggested that Logan be their chaperone.

"Chere!"

"Enough with the testosterone. Ah want Reñe to know his family, but not if it's gonna be a full war with y'all. So, we goin' or not?"

Gambit nodded reluctantly. "I'll make the call."

"Logan?"

"Yeah. Just be ready in the morning."

Tension filled the car as they traveled south. Logan was the main driver, relinquishing his position only after requiring them to stop after nightfall. Rogue checked them into the hotel. Much to Logan and Remy's surprise she expected the men to share a room.

"You think daddy and uncle Logan are gettin' along?" The baby shook his head. Rogue saw that he would need a haircut soon. She brushed the reddish bangs off his face. "You're gettin' to look more like your daddy everyday."

"Cajun," he murmured sleepily.

"Okay, time for bed. You want a story?"

"Cajun!"

After a few minutes she caved and texted Remy. *Reñe wants you.* It wasn't long until he knocked on the door. She was surprised at the tightness in her belly when she saw him. "Thanks, sugah. He's being insistent." He made a small sound of approval as he came inside and went to his son. "Ah'll let you two be." She spent her time in the shower, trying to give them privacy as well as cooling herself down. *Damn, he walks around our room half-naked all the time. Why do ah wanna jump him now?* No clear answer came to her.

"Chere?"

"Just a second." After hastily wrapping herself in a towel she emerged from the bathroom. "Thanks."

"No need. He's mine too." Remy kissed her cheek. "Night, chere."

As he moved to go she grabbed his arm. "Ah want you to stay."

"Anna you don't-"

"Remy, you talk too much." She kissed him deeply as she pulled him towards the bed.Rogue broke away for a moment and handed Remy a small foil packet.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah. Now put that on. Ah ain't ready for another baby yet."

He laughed and pulled her down. Rogue took in the full view of his body as he put the condom on. She had expected some resistance to it, but was pleased he hadn't. "Anna," he sighed as he moved above her. "Say it."

"Ah want you, Remy." Anna wanted to scream when he pushed into her, but his lips were already covering hers. It was a half an hour later when they heard a knock on the door. Remy went over and a piece of paper was slid inside. "Remy?" He held it up so she could read the message: keep him.

"Guess I get to stay here."

"Get over here, cajun. It's getting cold." She patted the empty side of the bed.

"Warmth ain't what you're looking for." He moved next to her, kissing her deeply as he pulled her close. "Guess we making a real go of dis, huh?"

"Yeah, but there's some things ah need you to tell me about."

"Like you can just about-"

"No, cajun. Our wedding date, Reñe's birthday, other things ah don't really remember since there's still a split in the memories. But first…"

"Damn, chere, ain't this-"

"No talk."

The next morning Rogue groaned as she woke. "Um, Remy, you gotta get up."

"Naw, chere. Just stay here."

"We both gotta shower, ah gotta get your clothes, get Reñe ready-"

"Relax. I'll get our boy ready." He kissed her lightly. "Go shower."

"Okay. Thanks, sugah." After a brief shower, she dressed and left Remy to take care of Reñe. It wasn't a surprise when Logan opened the door before she knocked. "Morning, Logan."

"Here for the cajun's things?" She nodded, blushing profusely. "Yeah, it ain't like you two have never had sex before. You happy?"

"Yes. Ah think maybe this was what ah needed. Though it shouldn't have been so fast." She grabbed Remy's knapsack. "Thanks for not lecturing me."

"Go get ready. We're going soon."

"Got it. We'll be ready in thirty." Anna gave a little wave as she left.

Rogue and Wolverine thought it would be best if they didn't show up right away. Remy did, however, convinced them to let him take Reñe with him. They stayed at her little apartment.

Remy covered up the boy asleep on his shoulder. The baby gurgled in his sleep and his father patted his back. As he entered his family home he was shocked to see several Assassins there. "Pere."

"Remy, my boy, welcome back."

"Huh, I see your so-called bride ain't here. You already sick of de chil', thief?" Belle asked with a snort. "Bet even de petit is jus' a way to get you-"

"Don't say another word, Belle. Ain't gonna let you talk 'bout ma femme et mon fils dat way."

"Remy," Jean-Luc said softly, "you sure he yours?"

He swore profusely as he shifted the boy in his arms. Reñe buried his face in his father chest, not wanting to be fully awakened. "C'mon, petit. Open dose eyes." The boy grudgingly complied though he kept his head on Remy's chest. Most of them gasped at Reñe's fiery orbs. "Happy now?"

"Why ain't his maman here?"

"Dis between me an' my family. Dere ain't nothing y'all need ta be here for. Pere?"

Rogue paced the small apartment, much to Logan's annoyance. "Kid, that ain't gonna bring 'em back any sooner."

"Ah know." She flopped on the bed face first, groaning. "Ah want to know if they're alright. How in the hell did ah get so attached to those two?"

"It happens." She lifted her head, glaring at him. "You want cliché answers you talk to someone else."

"Ah'm glad you came...it would've been awful waiting alone."

"Yeah, well that ain't the only reason I'm here. I don't trust that everything is just gonna work out." She nodded and buried her head in the pillow, trying to calm herself.

When Remy returned, it was clear things didn't go well. Reñe was fussier than normal and it took nearly an hour just to feed him. Mother and child ended up needing a shower, allowing the men to talk.

"Bad news?"

"Yeah. Could be dis whole thing was a mistake."

Logan grunted. "Trouble?" The Cajun gave a slight nod. "They don't like her?"

"Not that simple. I was 'engaged' when I was young and that was supposed to be that."

"But that didn't happen."

Remy shook his head. "Things happen. Powers, fighting, new people…"

"Right. Is the boy gonna be in as much danger as his mom?"

"Dey know he's mine, so he's safe. Ç'est toujours la même merde. (It's always the same shit)." Logan nodded in agreement.

Meeting Remy's family was more difficult than she'd imagined. The party was supposed to last several hours which meant leaving Reñe in Logan's care. She was hesitant to do that, but both men agreed it was the best thing for everyone.

Even worse, they had to arrive early to get Rogue into some proper clothes. She wanted to protest, but Mercy didn't give her a chance. Remy slipped into his old room, donning a suitable tux for the evening. As he waited, he realized how much he missed his and Rogue's little rituals.

However, he was taken aback. Mercy had tightly braided her hair, mixing both colors with thin strips of gold ribbons. The dress had a black corset top laced and accented with gold ribbons and a full skirt in layers of black. "Mon coquin…"

"You always liked pretty, shiny things haven't you Remy?"

"Ah'm not a thing."

He went over to her and gently kissed her cheek. "Non, chere, not a thing, just an incredibly beautiful woman." Remy smiled at his sister-in-law. "Think you missed your callin', Merc."

"Ha! Get down there or trouble's gonna start."

Three hours later Rogue had a major headache and could only remember a handful of his relatives' names. The crowd had thinned a bit and she wondered if anyone would really notice if she slipped away. As if reading her mind he grabbed her hand, pulling her towards a darkened hallway.

"Remy, where-"

"Sh." He led Rogue up a flight of stairs and back to his room. "You wanna head back?"

"No. It's late. 'Sides, Mercy has mah clothes."

"Shame," he murmured. Remy leaned in for a kiss, but she stepped away. "Chere?"

"Are they gonna come look for us? Ah don't wanna be in a...compromising position."

"Don't worry. Ain't nobody gonna bother us tonight." However, he slid a dresser in front of the door, seeing her nod in approval. They kissed again, slowly as they made their way to his bed. Remy fumbled with the front of her dress, finally ripping it apart in frustration and impatience.

"You an' ah owe Mercy a new dress," she murmured against his throat. His only response was quickly removing the end of his clothes.

They made love several times that night with brief naps to replenish their energy. When they were finally too exhausted to move it was close to dawn. Remy watched her sleep for a while before he finally dozed off.

The rest of the visit was uneventful. Reñe was adored by his paternal relatives and made a fuss when it was time to leave. They promised to return in a few months, a more planned trip than this had been.